A Golden Retriever
sits with legs splayed at random,
right front paw folded under,
as though he just fell that way
while trying to please,
really what matters most,
shoulders in a soft hunch,
gaze welcoming passersby.
He’s always there
by the entrance to the pool,
a book with bears and giraffes,
or balloons and honeysuckles
placed with care before him.
No tug of war or ball to retrieve
just quiet composure,
as if to say,
Not my world,
but I can wait awhile
among these gentle strangers,
his owner counting down laps
until their worlds can join
in a game of fetch,
two native speakers
of the same language.
About the Poet
Marianne Brems is a writer of textbooks and poetry. Finishing Line Press will release her chapbook Sliver of Change in 2020. Her poems have appeared in literary journals including The Pangolin Review, La Scrittrice, The Sunlight Press, and The Tiny Seed Literary Journal. She lives in Northern California. Website.
For the first time in nearly five years, Vita Brevis is closed for submission. Read the full story here.
Vita Brevis Press. 